Journal box



A .11 ,1942. 0.1.. TOWNSEND 292,912

JOURNAL BOX Filed Aug. 12, 1957 Patented Aug. ll, 1942 JOURNAL BOX Donald L. Townsend, Rochester, N. Y., lhe Symington-Gould Corporation,

assignor to Rochester,

N. Y., a corporation of Maryland Application August 12, 1937, Serial No. 158,806 4 Claims., (@Cl. 308-47) This invention relates to certain improvements in trucks for railway rolling stock and more particularly to the arrangement and construction of the journal boxes employed therein.

In certain types of railway trucks, wherein .individual cylinders are attached to the truck frame and employed in actuating the brake lever and associated parts for retarding the progress of the vehicle, the said cylinders may of necessity, due to the particular truck construction, be so arranged that the push rod portion thereof overlies'immediately and moves transversely of the journal box; that is the brake lever may be positioned on one side of the journal box and the actuating means or cylinder may be positioned on the other or opposite side of the journal box, both of which are connected operatively by means of a push rod which is located in the proximity of becomes necesary, in order to avoid interferences between the associated truck 1 parts and still maintain the required braking power, to construct that portion of the journal box immediately adjacent the push rod so as to permit an unrestricted lever actuating movement. of the said push rod.

With the above in view, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a journal box that may be used under the above-enumerated conditions without the sacrifice of the other desirable features therein.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a railway truck, of a journal box having spaced top and bottom walls connected integrally by side walls, all of said walls defining an access opening in said box, the top wall having a shoulder extending upwardly therefrom adapted to be engaged by an actuating means of an associated lid, the central'and forward portion of said top wall having an aperture therein to receive a 'pintle or hinge pin for said lid, said top wall also having a downwardly and forwardly extending portion forming a top sea-ting face against which the lid, in closed position, is adapted to bear, the said lid serving to close the access opening to prevent the ingress of dust, water or any other foreign substance to within the box as well as prevent the egress of the journal lubricant. i

The above as well as numerous other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, considered together with the accompanying drawing which discloses an exemplification of the invention and wherethe journal box. It, therefore,.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational and vertical sectional view of a railway truck involving a journal box embodying a form of the present invention, that portion of the truck which is associated with the journal box being illustrated diagrammatically in order to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Figure 2 is a view showing a fragmentary plan and horizontal sectional view of the journal box and associated parts; the horizontal sectional view being taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along the lines l-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating a portion of the top wall of the journal box adjacent the front extremity thereof.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along the lines 5-5 of Figure .1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts, the numeral 1 designates generally a railway truck, a portion only of which is illustrated. The truck comprises a frame member 2 associated with a journal box 3 and being supported therefrom by means of coil springs 4 spaced laterally on either side of the journal box.

The truck frame member is provided with a top chord 5 having arportion thereof overlying the journal box in spaced relation and spaced pedestal legs 6 depending from the top chord and extending through the horizontal plane of the journal box. The pedestal legs are connected together adjacent their lower extremity by means of :a tie bar 1' which is detachably secured to the pedestal legs and underlies the journal box in spaced relation thereto. Downwardly facing spring caps 8, formed integrally in the frame member, are spaced preferably outwardly from the pedestal leg 6, and are adapted to receive or house the top portion of the springs 4 therein.

The particular type of brake rigging, which maybe and preferably is employed with a joure nal box of the present invention, comprises a cylinder 9 operatively connected with a source of supply (not shown) and secured rigidly and detachably to the top chord of the frame member above and to one side of the journal box 3. Extending outwardly from the cylinder and positioned immediately above a portion of the journal box is a push rod ll] adapted to move transversely of the journal box and having an outer or free extremity thereof pivotally connected to a brake lever II. The brake lever H is connected to associated parts (not shown) which may be of any of the well known brake arrangements.

The journal box 3, adapted to move in a vertical direction with respect to the frame member and being interposed between and guided in the vertical movement thereof by the spaced pedestal leg 6, comprises a top wall l2 and bottom wall I 3 integrally connected together by spaced side walls I 4. The forward extremities of the said walls form a seating surface for an associated journal box lid and define an outer access opening 3*, while the rear extremities of the walls merge into and are formed integrally with spaced rear walls I5 which form a dustguard well for the accommodation of a removable dustguard (not shown). The top portion of each of the side walls has an embossed or inwardly extending convoluted portion positioned intermediate the ends thereof and preferably on the longitudinal axis of the frame member to form lugs I4 adapted to retain a journal wedge and brass (not shown) in operable position.

As it is the present intention to use the journal box of the instant invention in combination with a self contained journal lubricating device (not shown) which may be applied to or removed from a journal box as a unit, the access opening is made preferably larger than openings ordinarily provided in structures of this type. In order to increase the access opening, the bottom wall is made preferably and substantially horizontal so as to present an unrestricted opening for the insertion or withdrawal of the lubricating device. A pad [3 depending from adjacent the forward portion of the bottom wall, provides an abutment for the accommodation of a jack or lifting device employed to raise the box in order to renew the journal brass or wedge (not shown) which are interposed between the journal 2 and top wall I2 of the box.

The lid [6, being of the hinging type and adapted to be positioned over the access opening 3 in order to exclude foreign particles from the interior of the box, is preferably of cast form and comprises a cover portion I! and a hood I8 formed integral therewith. Due to the close proximity of the push rod, indicated diagramatically as ll] in Figure 3, to the top wall of the journal box as the box reaches its uppermost limit of movement under a loaded vehicle and to prevent interference between the push rod and associated truck structures, the distance in which the lid and associated journal box lug or shoulder may extend above the top wall of the journal box is limited. It is desirable, in structures of this type, to provide a hinge lug on the top wall to act as an abutment for the lid-actuating means and also to provide an aperture in a plane spaced above the top wall and extending through the hinge lug for the reception of a pintle to pivotally connect the lid to the box. In order to retain these desired features in the present structure, a pintle aperture i9 is positioned substantially in the plane of the top wall and has, extending therethrough, a pintle 20 which also extends through the lid hood [8 in order to pivotally connect the lid to the box.

The lid is retained in closed position over the access opening 3 by means of a lid-actuating means which, in the present structure, comprises a torsion spring 2| housed within the hood. The

spring is provided with coil portions 2| positioned within and bearing against the hood l8 and depending arms 22 bearing against the lid cover I! in order to urge the cover into intimate contact with the journal box and over the access opening. An arm 23, upstanding from the spring coil portions, is pivotally connected to a roller 23 the latter bearing against the face 24* formed on the shoulder or lug 24 which is integral with and upstanding from the top wall l2 of the journal box. The lug or shoulder 24, positioned on the vertical axis of the journal box and immediately above the transversely disposed pintle aperture, extends preferably but a slight distance above the top wall, thereby retaining the upper portion of the lid and the associated parts in the close proximity of the top wall and still providing an abutment, spaced a sufficient distance from the axis of the torsion spring, to provide the desired leverage for the upstanding arm- 23 in order to positively retain the cover over the access opening.

The shoulder 24 is reinforced by rearwardly extending flanges 25 which join the lateral extremities of the should to the top wall. The reinforcing flanges 25 are provided with a top surface which, in the proximity of the upper edge of the face 24*, take the form of a convex surface 25 to provide a bearing for the roller 23 when the lid is moved from closed to open position or vice versa, said top surface merging into the top wall as a concave surface 25* to form a receptacle for the roller 23 in order to retain the lid in open position, most clearly illustrated diagrammatically by dot and dash lines in Figure 4.

In ordinary structures of this type the top wall is usually extended, in a single plane, beyond the lid-hinging lug to form the top seating face for an associated lid. In order to provide an adequate top lid-seating face in the present structure, the forward portion of the top wall immediately beneath the pintle aperture extends downwardly and outwardly, as at 26, while the forward portion of the top wall on either side of the aperture also extends downwardly and outardly at 21; the outwardly extending portions being in substantial alignment so as to present a top surface contact betwen the lid and journal box.

It will, of course, be understood that merely an exemplary form of the invention has been disclosed by the accompanying drawing and described in the present specification and further that various changes and alterations may be made thereto without departing from within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a vertically movable journal box, in combination, top, bottom and side walls defining an outer access opening, a shoulder extending upwardly from the forward portion of said top wall, a lid pintle aperture positioned in said top wall and extending for only a portion of the width thereof, and spaced reinforcing flanges connecting said shoulder and top wall; the forward portion of said top wall beneath said shoulder and on each side thereof extending downwardly and outwardly to form a top seating face for an associated lid.

2. In a journal box, in combination, top, bottom and side walls connected together and defining an outer access opening, a shoulder positioned intermediate the side walls and upstanding from said top wall adapted to be engaged by an actuating means of an associated lid when said lid is in position over said access opening, an aperture in said top wall and underlying said shoulder for the accommodation of a lid securing pintle, spaced reinforcing flanges connecting said shoulder and top wall, said flanges having an arcuate top surface acting as a hearing means for said actuating means when the lid is moved to open position; and said top wall immediately beneath and on each side of said shoulder extending downwardly and outwardly below the plane of said aperture to form a top seating face for said lid.

3. In a journal box, in combination, top, bottom and side walls connected together and defining an outer access opening in said box, a shoulder upstanding from said top wall adapted to be engaged by an actuating means of an associated lid when said lid is in closed position and over said access opening, an aperture in said top wall for the accommodation of a lid-securing pintle, spaced reinforcing flanges connecting said shoulder and top wall, said flanges each having a convex top surface acting as bearing means for said actuating means when the lid is moved to open position and a concave top surface forming a receptacle for the actuating means to retain the lid in open position.

4. In a journal box, in combination, top, bottom and side walls defining an outer access opening in said box, a shoulder upstanding from said top wall adapted to be engaged by an actuating means of an associated lid when said lid is in position over said access opening, an aperture beneath said shoulder and substantially in the plane of the top wall, spaced reinforcing flanges connecting said shoulder and top wall, the entire forward portion of said top wall extending downwardly and outwardly below the plane of said aperture to form a top seating surface for said lid.

DONALD L. TOWNSEND. 

